The Flavours of Asia

Tag Archives: ingredients for Chinese cooking

Melbourne is a multi-cultural city with many students from Asian countries attending the excellent universities and other education institutes based in and around the city. These students often find themselves missing familiar foods, which they can’t find in ordinary supermarkets. So they are delighted when they hear about TANG the Asian Food Emporium at 185 Russell Street. When they first visit the store they are thrilled to find many of their favourite snacks, special drinks, familiar seasonings, easy cook meals or favourite sweets and the brands they trust from home.

Owners, Mr. & Mrs. Tang specialise in supplying regional foods from countries such as Japan, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Korea. Mr. Tang often travels to these Asian regions to source local brands and add to the range of products already stocking the shelves of this popular Asian grocery store/supermarket.

There are regular in-store promotions with great specials and a Privilege Membership program for regular customers. To join the program sign up to in-store and receive a discount on all purchases you make at TANG.

The Tangs make sure their customers are well informed, with an active Facebook page to keep them up-to-date and a website with a Products Page that lists the most sought after as well as unusual products within categories. On the website there is a store map so customers can familiarise themselves with the store before they visit. The staff in-store are also very friendly and will help with any questions or requests for specific brands or foods. Like our Facebook page to stay in touch.

Many more Australians are becoming Vegetarian. Roy Morgan Research found that between 2012 and 2016, the number of Australian adults whose diet is all or almost all vegetarian rose to almost 2.1 million people (11.2% of the population) from 1.7 million ( 9.7%. of the population). Sydney leads with 14.4% of its residents adopting a vegetarian (or little meat) diet ahead of Hobart (13.3%) and Melbourne (12.7%). Many report that they have gone vegetarian in order to eat more healthily and maintain a low carb, low fat diet.

The Asian diet is certainly up there in terms of healthy eating and offering good, tasty vegetarian options. Tofu, or beancurd, is a popular ingredient in East Asian and Southeast Asian dishes and is often used in place of meat or seafood. Tofu is low in calories and high in protein and iron and, depending on the coagulants used in manufacturing (e.g. calcium chloride, calcium sulfate, magnesium sulfate), it can have a high calcium or magnesium content as well. Fresh vegetables are also a mainstay in most Asian dishes.

Healthy eating is aligned to healthy drinking habits as well. The traditional Asian approach to drinking with your meal is to limit fluid intake when eating so that digestive enzymes do not become diluted, as these are so important for proper digestion. Green tea or other hot teas are offered before a meal to support enzymatic activity and help aid digestion. It is suggested that a thirty minute period between drinking green tea and eating is the optimum.

You will find good quality green tea, tofu and all the ingredients you will need to make delicious Chinese, Malaysian, Japanese, Indonesian, Thai, Vietnamese or Korean dishes at TANG The Asian Food Emporium at 185 Russell Street, Melbourne CBD.

Melbourne truly is a multi-cultural city and nowhere is this more obvious than in the explosion of diverse cuisines available at eateries in this fair city. With sizeable populations of people from many different countries you will now see grocery stores specialising in ingredients, snacks and beverages for specific cuisines. One of the most prolific of these are Asian groceries; apart from residents who have come from our closest neighbours and hanker for ingredients to make the tasty dishes they ate back home, all manner of Melburnians are embracing the delicious tastes of Asia.
Reflecting recent trends in migration to Victoria, the 2011 census shows that those born overseas from North Africa and the Middle East, South-East Asia, North-East Asia and in particular Southern and Central Asia, have increased the most in both absolute numbers and as a proportion of the total. The top ten countries of birth for Victoria in 2011 were: England, India, China, New Zealand, Italy, Vietnam, Greece, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Philippines.

It is therefore no wonder that Ingredients for Malaysian, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Filipino dishes are sought after. One of the longest established and best stockists of these foods, TANG The Asian Food Emporium, is situated for convenience in the CBD at 185 Russell Street. They also stock well-loved snacks, beverages and lollies sourced from South Asia as well as Chinese traditional medicines and Korean, Japanese and Thai groceries. Catering to busy students and office workers the store is open every day of the year from 10am to 11pm.

Elisa Tang serving a customer

Elisa Tang runs the retail side of the business and is well known to her customers, whilst her husband Sio is in charge of sourcing and supplying stock. Their website has a store map and products page, helping customers to find the right ingredients for that special dish.

This popular snack from China, glutinous rice balls (tang yuan) are filled with a variety of fillings including red bean, sesame, peanut and lotus. The fillings ooze out from mochi-like dumpling skins, which have a pleasantly gummy texture, due to being made from glutinous rice flour, which produces a chewier dough. You can make your own or pick up a great selection of flavours from TANG The Asian Food Emporium at 185 Russell Street, Melbourne.Filling:
Take 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts or sesame seeds. Grind in a mortar and pestle to a fine but not powdery consistency.
Melt 2 tablespoons coconut oil in a small bowl.
Mix the coconut oil with 2 tablespoons of sugar and the ground nuts (or sesame seeds).
Chill the mixture in the refrigerator or freezer for a few minutes before use.

Dumplings:
Mix 1-1/2 cups glutinous rice flour with 2 tablespoons rice flour.
Add 1 cup tepid water.
Combine to make a soft but not sticky dough.
Divide the dough in half.
Roll out each half on a floured board into a cylinder about 1-1/2 inches thick.
Cut the dough cylinders into segments about 1 inch wide.
Take a piece of dough and make an indent with your thumb.
Place the filling in the indent and draw up the sides of the dough to make a ball.
Roll it into a smooth ball shape with your hands.
Lay the dumplings on a rice flour dusted tray, ready for cooking.

Cooking:
Bring a large pot of water to the boil.
Gently stir to avoid sticking.
Simmer for 15 minutes, avoid boiling.
The dumplings are ready when the skins are nearly translucent.Serving:
Ladle dumplings into soup bowls with the cooking water.
Enjoy!
Ingredients available at TANG The Asian Food Emporium.

Mr & Mrs.Tang, the owners of TANG The Asian Food Emporium both came originally from the former Portuguese Chinese colony, Macau. Sio Tang’s family was involved in supplying specialty timbers, rosewood and exotics to the shipwright industry in Macau. The 400 year old port had long been linked to the sea with local families involved in fishing or shipbuilding. There were nearly 10,000 fishermen and more than 30 enormous shipyards dotted across the tiny territory. The Tangs immigrated to Melbourne in 1987 just before the collapse of the ship building industry in Macau in the 1990’s.

The beautiful, handcrafted wooden ships couldn’t compete against the more efficiently manufactured metal boats from mainland China. The waters were also becoming polluted as China’s Zhujian Delta began to develop, adversely affecting Macau’s fishing industry.

Elisa’s family ran a very successful Asian Grocery store in Macau and she had family in Melbourne who ran a wholesale Asian food importing business. Her experience and connections provided them with the basis to set up their own Asian grocery business in Melbourne. The rest, they say, is history as their stores have grown in size providing the Tangs with the space to expand their range and variety of Asian groceries. With the purchase of their present premises and expansion into the next store building they are able to bring you the best selection of Asian groceries and produce in Melbourne. Call in to experience the taste sensations of authentic culinary ingredients from Asian countries such as China, Taiwan, Thailand, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam at 185 Russell Street, Melbourne.

Wintery weather makes us want to snuggle up in front of a fire or eat warming, spicy food to keep ourselves warm against the bitter winds and icy rain. There’s nothing better than a spicy hot pot shared with family or friends. You can make your own spicy recipe or simply buy Little Sheep Hot Pot Paste or Zhoujunji Soup Base for Hot & Spicy Hot Pot and Little sheep Hot Pot Mate Condiment Sauce at TANG The Asian Food Emporium in Melbourne. The fun really is all the ingredients you have ready for your family or guests to pop into the hot pot. There’s QQ Lobster Ball, Chinese Royal Kitchen Chicken & Mushroom Dumplings or Pork & Cabbage Dumplings, Hong Men Ju Seafood & Pork Dumplings and many more dumplings, Nan Xiang Vegetable Wonton. This well stocked Asian Grocery Store also carries Shan Shan Bean Threads, Golden Swallow Premium Quality White Fungus, Tofu, Xin Chan Fa frozen Cooked Water Chestnut, Winter Bamboo Shoot and Lotus Root Slices, as well as quality fresh produce.

If you are a student or work late and want your soup ready-made there’s Bi Feng Tang Three Delicacies Dumpling Soup and Shepherds Purse Dumpling Soup. There’s also the Wuting Food Frozen Steamed Bun range with Chinese Spinach flavour and Mustard & Bamboo Shoots. And if you are starting to pick up a cold or virus there’s quite an extensive range of Chinese medicines available, including Sanjing Ginseng Royal Jelly, Song Shu Pai Panax Ginseng Extraction and Madame Pearl Cough Syrup. Call in to 185 Russell Street, Melbourne to pick up your Chinese groceries anytime from 10am to 11pm, 7 days a week.

Vietnamese, Chinese, Thai and Japanese cuisine is very popular in Melbourne Town and there are many restaurants that serve these dishes. Korean and Malaysian cuisines are also delicious and you will also find a number of restaurants specialising in these dishes. With so many cooking shows on TV these days, such as Master Chef and My Kitchen Rules people are becoming more experimental with their own cooking at home. One of the secrets to cooking your own tasty dish with authentic flavours is using the right ingredients. To ensure you have the authentic taste you need to find an Asian supermarket that sells groceries sourced directly from the country where the cuisine is served.

You will be delighted when you see, taste and smell the array of authentic Asian foods and popular brands from countries such as China, Japan, Vietnam, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia and Korea when you visit TANG The Asian Food Emporium. Situated at 185 Russell Street, Melbourne their selection of spices and sauces to flavour your dishes is vast, as is the choice of tinned and frozen foods. You will also find many ready to eat dishes such as tinned milk peanut soup, vegetarian chop suey, Ichibiki brand instant soups and easy to cook noodle dishes to suit students. Sweet and savoury snacks are plentiful and beverages range from tinned coffees to exotic teas, fruit juices, coconut water, iced teas, aloe vera drinks, root beer, grape fanta and cherry coke.

If you have enjoyed yum cha and want to repeat the taste experience at home you will find a fantastic selection of dumplings in the freezer section, anything from prawn, pork and chives to chicken and mushroom and vegetable. So call in from 10am to 11pm any day of the week (open 7 days) and ask the friendly staff for help with any of your Asian cooking needs.